YEAR IN REVIEW : 2018 National League

Off the field...

The year started with some history making news in the National Football League as the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history, defeating the heavily favored (yet again) New England Patriots, 41-33, in Super Bowl LII, ending a 57-year championship drought.

In the American League...

The Detroit Tigers modified the Olde English D on their home jersey to match the D on the cap. This was the first major change to the Tigers' home jersey since 1934.

A "feel good" story of the year surrounded the return of Atlanta Braves pitcher Jonny Venters. The Tampa Bay Rays stuck with the determined lefty who had Tommy John surgery three times and successfully returned to the mound on April 25, 2018 - the first pitcher to make it back to the majors after three such operations.

In the National League...

The 89th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be held on July 17, 2018, at Nationals Park, the home of the Washington Nationals.

The National League & American League had a combined 7,335 strikeouts and 6,992 hits during the month of April. Never in Major League history had their been a month with more strikeouts than hits, until 2018!

Around the League...

All thirty Major League Baseball teams were scheduled to play an Opening Day game on March 29, 2018, the earliest start of a regular season in baseball history.

Major League Baseball implemented new pace of play rules in 2018, which include limiting the amount of mound visits for each team to six visits per nine innings. Teams will receive an additional visit for every extra inning played.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement reached in December 2016, the 2018 regular season was extended to 187 days in order to add four additional off-days for all teams.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Twenty years ago, when you talked to National League owners about the DH, you'd think you were talking some sort of heretical comment," Manfred told reporters Thursday at the owners meetings in Coral Gables, Fla. "But we have a newer group. There's been turnover. And I think our owners in general have demonstrated a willingness to change the game in ways that we think would be good for the fans, always respecting the history and traditions of the sport." - New York Daily News Staff Peter Botte (01/21/2016, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says National League could implement DH by 2017, Source)

2018 National League Player Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Bryce Harper Washington Nationals 130 Top25
Batting Average Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers .326 Top25
Doubles Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves 44 Top25
Anthony Rendon Washington Nationals 44
Hits Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves 191 Top25
Home Runs Nolan Arenado Colorado Rockies 38 Top25
On Base Percentage Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds .417 Top25
RBI Javier Baez Chicago Cubs 111 Top25
Runs Charlie Blackmon Colorado Rockies 119 Top25
Slugging Average Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers .598 Top25
Stolen Bases Trea Turner Washington Nationals 43 Top25
Total Bases Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers 343 Top25
Triples Ketel Marte Arizona Diamondbacks 12 Top25

2018 National League Pitcher Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Michael Foltynewicz Atlanta Braves 2 Top25
Max Scherzer Washington Nationals 2
Noah Syndergaard New York Mets 2
Jameson Taillon Pittsburgh Pirates 2
ERA Jacob deGrom New York Mets 1.70 Top25
Games Brad Ziegler Miami Marlins 82 Top25
Arizona Diamondbacks
Saves Wade Davis Colorado Rockies 43 Top25
Shutouts Patrick Corbin Arizona Diamondbacks 1 Top25
Michael Foltynewicz Atlanta Braves 1
Miles Mikolas St. Louis Cardinals 1
Max Scherzer Washington Nationals 1
Chris Stratton San Francisco Giants 1
Noah Syndergaard New York Mets 1
Jameson Taillon Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Trevor Williams Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Strikeouts Max Scherzer Washington Nationals 300 Top25
Winning Percentage Miles Mikolas St. Louis Cardinals .818 Top25
Wins Jon Lester Chicago Cubs 18 Top25
Miles Mikolas St. Louis Cardinals 18
Max Scherzer Washington Nationals 18

2018 National League

Final Team Standings

Atlanta Braves 90 72 0 .556 -- 0
Washington Nationals 82 80 0 .506 8.0 0
Philadelphia Phillies 80 82 0 .494 10.0 0
New York Mets 77 85 0 .475 13.0 0
Miami Marlins 63 98 0 .391 26.5 0
Milwaukee Brewers 96 67 0 .589 -- 0
Chicago Cubs 95 68 0 .583 1.0 0
St. Louis Cardinals 88 74 0 .543 7.5 0
Pittsburgh Pirates 82 79 0 .509 13.0 0
Cincinnati Reds 67 95 0 .414 28.5 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 92 71 0 .564 -- 0
Colorado Rockies 91 72 0 .558 1.0 0
Arizona Diamondbacks 82 80 0 .506 9.5 0
San Francisco Giants 73 89 0 .451 18.5 0
San Diego Padres 66 96 0 .407 24.5 0
2018 National League Final Standings
Seasonal Events: All-Star Game | Home Run Derby | World Series
Navigation: Year in Review Menu | Previous Season | Next Season
Miscellaneous: A.L. Leaderboard | Rookies List
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Joe Panik, 2018 Giants, became the first player in Major League history to hit a home run in consecutive season starting 1-0 victories (March 29, 2018 & March 30, 2018) by his team!

On April 10, 2018, Asdrubal Cabrera homered batting righty, then again lefty, in the same game - the twenty-second time the New York Mets have had a player accomplish the feat, most in National League history, second only behind the New York Yankees.

Did you know that Barry Bonds had his #25 retired by the San Francisco Giants on August 11, 2018 - the ninth player in franchise history (including time in New York) to have his number retired by the team?